Korean Endgame: A Strategy for Reunification and U.S. Disengagement (A Century Foundation Book)

Nearly half a century after the fighting stopped, the 1953 Armistice has yet to be replaced with a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War. While Russia and China withdrew the last of their forces in 1958, the United States maintains 37,000 troops in South Korea and is pledged to defend it with nuclear weapons. In Korean Endgame, Selig Harrison mounts the first authoritative challenge to this long-standing U.S. policy. Harrison shows why North Korea is not - as many policymakers expect - about to collapse. And he explains why existing U.S. policies hamper North-South reconciliation and reunification. Assessing North Korean capabilities and the motivations that have led to its forward deployments, he spells out the arms control concessions by North Korea, South Korea, and the United States necessary to ease the dangers of confrontation, centering on reciprocal U.S. force redeployments and U.S. withdrawals in return for North Korean pullbacks from the thirty-eighth parallel. Similarly, he proposes specific trade-offs to forestall the North's development of nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems, calling for the withdrawal of the U.S. nuclear umbrella in conjunction with agreements to denuclearize Korea embracing China, Russia, and Japan. The long-term goal of U.S. policy, he argues, should be the full disengagement of U.S. combat forces from Korea as part of regional agreements insulating the peninsula from all foreign conventional and nuclear forces. A veteran journalist with decades of extensive firsthand knowledge of North Korea and long-standing contacts with leaders in Washington, Seoul, and Pyongyang, Harrison is perfectly placed to make these arguments. Throughout, he supports his analysis with revealing accounts of conversations with North Korean, South Korean, and U.S. leaders over thirty-five years. Combining probing scholarship with a seasoned reporter's on-the-ground experience and insights, he has given us the definitive book on U.S. policy in Korea - past, present, and future.

selig Harrison Has Longer And More Intimate Experience With North Korean Security Issues Than Any Other American Observer. He Has Used His Inside Knowledge Plus Extensive Additional Research To Produce A Provocative Appeal For New Thinking About The Current Situation On The Korean Peninsula And The Challenges In The Years Ahead. This Is An Important Contribution That Will Benefit Policymakers And The Public Alike.--don Oberdorfer, Author Of the Two Koreas: A Contemporary History, Former Diplomatic Correspondent For The washington Post

korean Endgame Is The Best Analysis I Have Seen Of The Difficult Policy Choices Facing The United States In Korea. Selig Harrison Covers All The Key Issues Accurately And Thoroughly, Bringing Into Perspective The Complicated Relationships Among North Korea, South Korea, And The United States. Providing A Realistic Strategy For Ending One Of The World's Most Dangerous Military Confrontations, This Book Should Be Required Reading For Policymakers And Others Who Care About Asia And International Affairs.--jimmy Carter, 39th President Of The United States, Founder And Chairman Of The Carter Center

as One Of The Few Americans Who Have Known Both South And North Korea For The Past Three Decades, Mr. Harrison Has Made A Unique And Valuable Contribution To The Promotion Of Improved Relations Between The Two Koreas And Between North Korea And The United States. With His New Book, He Has, Once Again, Provided Policymakers On Both Sides Of The Pacific With Concrete And Effective Ways To Promote Peace And Stability In The Northeast Asian Region.--maj. Gen. Lim Dong-won (ret.), Special Advisor To The President For National Security And Unification And Former Director Of The National Intelligence Service, Republic Of Korea

selig Harrison Has Written The Best Book To Appear On The Korean Problem In Many Years. It Is The Summing Up Of Thirty-five Years Of Close Observation By One Of America's Best Analysts, Who Marries The Curiosity Of A Great Investigative Reporter To The Contemporary Policy Concerns Of Someone In Close Touch With Debates In Washington. Unlike Almost Anyone Else, Harrison Has Had Access To All The Major Players In Washington, Seoul, And Pyongyang, While Retaining His Independence And Authoritative Judgment.--bruce Cumings, Author Of the Origins Of The Korean War

harrison's Fair-minded And Well-researched Book Makes A Timely Contribution To American Understanding Of Relations With North Korea. His Reportage On North Korean Points Of View Are Gleaned From His Years Of First-hand Contact. He Uncovers Much That Has Never Appeared In Print And Clears Up Numerous Misunderstandings. Accessible To Anyone Curious About Foreign Affairs, The Book Is A Must-read For Anyone Interested In Korea Or The Region.--leon Sigal, Author Of disarming Strangers: Nuclear Diplomacy With North Korea

lucian W. Pye - Foreign Affairs

at A Time When North Korean Nuclear Developments Have Created A Crisis In World Affairs, We Are Fortunate To Have This Thoughtful And Provocative Book.

Contents......Page 6 Foreword......Page 10 Overview: The United States and Korea......Page 14 PART I: Will North Korea Collapse?......Page 32 CHAPTER 1 The Paralysis of American Policy......Page 34 CHAPTER 2 Nationalism and the “Permanent Siege Mentality”......Page 39 CHAPTER 3 The Confucian Legacy......Page 52 CHAPTER 4 Reform by Stealth......Page 56 CHAPTER 5 Gold, Oil, and the Basket-Case Image......Page 79 CHAPTER 6 Kim Jong Il and His Successors......Page 84 PART II: Reunification: Postponing the Dream......Page 98 CHAPTER 7 Trading Places......Page 100 CHAPTER 8 Confederation or Absorption?......Page 105 CHAPTER 9 The United States and Reunification......Page 133 PART III: Toward U.S. Disengagement......Page 142 CHAPTER 10 Tripwire......Page 144 CHAPTER 11 The United States and the Military Balance......Page 155 CHAPTER 12 New Opportunities for Arms Control......Page 169 CHAPTER 13 Ending the Korean War......Page 185 CHAPTER 14 The Tar Baby Syndrome......Page 205 CHAPTER 15 Guidelines for U.S. Policy......Page 221 PART IV: Toward a Nuclear-Free Korea......Page 226 CHAPTER 16 The U.S. Nuclear Challenge to North Korea......Page 228 CHAPTER 17 The North Korean Response......Page 232 CHAPTER 18 The 1994 Compromise: Can It Survive?......Page 246 CHAPTER 19 Japan and Nuclear Weapons......Page 262 CHAPTER 20 South Korea and Nuclear Weapons......Page 276 CHAPTER 21 Guidelines for U.S. Policy......Page 288 PART V: Korea in Northeast Asia......Page 316 CHAPTER 22 Will History Repeat Itself?......Page 318 CHAPTER 23 Korea, Japan, and the United States......Page 321 CHAPTER 24 Korea, China, and the United States......Page 337 CHAPTER 25 Korea, Russia, and the United States......Page 359 CHAPTER 26 Then and Now: The Case for a Neutral Korea......Page 378 Notes to the Chapters......Page 388 B......Page 424 C......Page 425 D......Page 426 F......Page 427 I......Page 428 K......Page 429 M......Page 431 N......Page 432 P......Page 435 R......Page 436 S......Page 437 U......Page 438 W......Page 439 Z......Page 440 The Paralysis Of American Policy -- Nationalism And The Permanent Siege Mentality -- The Confucian Legacy -- Reform By Stealth -- Gold, Oil, And The Basket-case Image -- Kim Jong Il And His Successors -- Trading Places -- Confederation Or Absorption? -- The United States And Reunification -- Tripwire -- The United States And The Military Balance -- New Opportunities For Arms Control -- Ending The Korean War -- The Tar Baby Syndrome -- Guidelines For U.s. Policy -- The U.s. Nuclear Challenge To North Korea -- The North Korean Response -- The 1994 Compromise : Can It Survive? -- Japan And Nuclear Weapons -- South Korea And Nuclear Weapons -- Guidelines For U.s. Policy -- Will History Repeat Itself? -- Korea, Japan, And The United States -- Korea, China, And The United States -- Korea, Russia, And The United States -- Then And Now : The Case For A Neutral Korea. Selig S. Harrison. A Century Foundation Book. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [357]-392) And Index. "Korean Endgame is the first authoritative challenge to U.S. policies in Korea designed to maintain a permanent military presence there even after reunification. Selig Harrison shows why North Korea is not - as many policymakers expect - about to collapse. And he explains why existing U.S. policies hamper North-South reconciliation and reunification. Assessing North Korean capabilities and the motivations that have led to its forward deployments, he spells out the arms control concessions by North Korea, South Korea, and the United States necessary to ease the dangers of confrontation."--Jacket THE DEBATE over whether North Korea will collapse-and whether the United States should promote its collapse-has paralyzed American policymaking relating to Korea.